The New York Giants, an American football team which currently plays in the NFL's National Football Conference, have qualified for the postseason ten times since 1994. With the retirement of Phil Simms and Lawrence Taylor—two of the most important figures in franchise history—after the 1993 season, the Giants entered a new era.

After a successful 1993 season, the Giants struggled under head coach Dan Reeves, and failed to reach the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. With the hiring of Jim Fassel as the team's new head coach in 1997, the Giants fortunes improved and they made the playoffs several times. Led by free agent acquisition quarterback Kerry Collins, the Fassel era included an appearance in Super Bowl XXXV, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens. Although there was success, the Fassel era was also marked by inconsistency, and he was fired after the 2003 season.

Fassel was replaced by Tom Coughlin who served as head coach from 2004 to 2015. The Giants acquired quarterback Eli Manning via a draft day trade from the San Diego Chargers. Manning had been the quarterback at University of Mississippi, and was the first pick in the 2004 NFL draft. During this period standout Giants players include defensive end Michael Strahan, who set the NFL single season record in sacks in 2001, and running back Tiki Barber, who set a team record in rushing yards in 2005. The Giants made the playoffs four consecutive seasons, from 2005 to 2008 (including a Super Bowl victory during the 2007 season), but missed the playoffs in 2009 and 2010.

New era: 1994–1996

After finishing 11–5 and reaching the second round of the playoffs in 1993, the Giants took a step backwards in 1994. Phil Simms and Lawrence Taylor, the two biggest figures of the 1980s and early 1990s, both retired. Several other key starting players were dropped from the roster due to free agency. In the wake of Simms' retirement, head coach Dan Reeves named Dave Brown, who had been a No. 1 supplemental draft choice in 1992, as the Giants' new starting quarterback. Though Brown led the Giants to wins in their first three games of the season,, databasefootball.com, Retrieved March 20, 2007. the Giants lost their next 7 in a row to drop to 3–7. The poor play of Brown received much of the blame from fans and the media.Berkow, Ira. Sports of The Times; Brown Hopes To Wear Out Giant Fans, The New York Times, October 25, 1994, Retrieved March 22, 2008. However, the Giants recovered and won their last six games of the season, finishing with a 15–10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at Giants Stadium. During this stretch they never allowed more than 20 points in a game, and the Giants ended the season with a record of 9–7., databasefootball.com, Retrieved March 17, 2007. The team's stars included Rodney Hampton, who had his 4th straight 1,000 yard rushing season;, databasefootball.com, Retrieved March 20, 2007. second-year defensive lineman Michael Strahan, and linebackers Jessie Armstead and Michael Brooks.

In 1995 the team regressed further, losing even more players to free agency and finished the season with a 5–11 record,, databasefootball.com, Retrieved March 20, 2007. their worst since Bill Parcells' first season in 1983. Quarterback Dave Brown was particularly disappointing, as he finished with just 2,814 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. Reeves went public with his desire to have more of a say in personnel matters. He controlled the team's free agency decisions, but feuded with General manager (GM) George Young who chose the team's draft picks.Smith, Timothy W. On Pro Football;As His Team Sinks, a Coach Talks of Jumping Ship, The New York Times, November 20, 1995, accessed December 6, 2010.* Pervin. pg. 124 Lowlights were a 35–0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the Monday Night season opener,History of the New York Giants www.sportsecyclopedia.com, Retrieved September 12, 2006. and the fans pelting the Charger sideline with snowballs in the season's final game.Sandomir, Richard. PRO FOOTBALL;Giants Will Confiscate Season Tickets, The New York Times, December 27, 1995, Retrieved March 22, 2008. Though the defense still played well at times, the Giants sent no players to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year.1995 New York Giants, pro-football-reference.com, Retrieved March 22, 2007.

The Giants suffered through yet another poor season in 1996, finishing 6–10. Though Brown again started every game for the Giants he turned in one of the worst seasons of any starting quarterback in the league that year, throwing for 12 touchdowns against 20 interceptions., databasefootball.com, Retrieved March 18, 2007. The Giants offense was one of the worst in the NFL and, unlike in previous years, the defense was unable to keep the offense afloat. After having one playoff appearance in four years, Reeves was dismissed after the 1996 season.Anderson, Dave. 'It Hasn't Worked Out' For Reeves, The New York Times, December 22, 1996, Retrieved March 22, 2008.

Jim Fassel era

1997–1999

The Giants hired Jim Fassel to replace Reeves before the 1997 season. Fassel had been the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos. After an opening day win against Philadelphia the Giants lost their next three games,, accessed databasefootball.com, Retrieved March 18, 2007. including close losses to the Baltimore Ravens and St. Louis Rams. The Giants then won their next five games in a row. One of Fassel's biggest decisions during this streak was to replace Brown with second year quarterback Danny Kanell. The Giants won their next five game in a row to finish the season at 10–5–1, and win the NFC Eastern Division for the first time since 1990. In the first round, the Giants struggled in the fourth quarter, and the Vikings kicked a late field goal to defeat them, 23–22. After the 1997 season, Young, who as GM had helped build New York into a championship club in the 1980s, left the team to take a job in the NFL front office. He was replaced by Ernie Accorsi, a well-respected, veteran General Manager who had successful stints building the Baltimore Colts and Cleveland Browns.Mizell, Hubert. Don't mistake where Accorsi's rooting interest is, St. Petersburg Times, January 22, 2001, Retrieved March 20, 2007.

In 1998, the Giants were unable to build on their successful 1997 season, and needed a four-game winning streak to close out the season at 8–8. The Giants strength was their defense, which featured two Pro Bowlers in Armstead and Strahan.1998 New York Giants , pro-football-reference.com, Retrieved March 21, 2007. However, the offense continued to be a disappointment. Brown had been jettisoned and replaced by Kanell and Kent Graham. Neither quarterback provided Pro Bowl caliber play, although Graham led the Giants to a 5–1 finish (including an upset of the then-undefeated Denver Broncos in Week 15).

Before the 1999 season the Giants signed quarterback Kerry Collins. Collins had been the first-ever draft choice of the expansion Carolina Panthers and in his second season led the Panthers to the NFC Championship game. However, problems with alcohol, conflicts with his teammates and questions about his character led to his release from the Panthers.King, Peter. , Sports Illustrated, January 22, 2001, Retrieved March 21, 2007. Mike Ditka, coach of the New Orleans Saints signed him after his release; however the experiment failed and Collins was released again. Although many people, including Sports Illustrated football beat writer Peter King questioned the wisdom of Accorsi and the Giants giving Collins a US$16.9 million contract, especially when there was little interest for Collins's services league-wide, Accorsi was confident that Collins was a wise investment.

The 1999 season featured many strong individual performances by the Giants, especially on offense. Receiver Amani Toomer had a breakout season, accumulating over 1,100 yards receiving and six touchdowns., Retrieved March 18, 2007. Fellow receiver Ike Hilliard also had a solid season, finishing just shy of 1,000 yards receiving on the year. Tight end Pete Mitchell contributed 58 receptions, and Tiki Barber emerged as a premiere pass-catching running back, catching 66 passes on the year. The defense was also solid, ranking 11th in the league and sending Armstead and Strahan to the Pro Bowl again. Though the Giants stood at 7–6 after 13 games, they lost their final three games of the season to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

2000: Super Bowl season

The 2000 season was considered a make-or-break season for Fassel. Like his predecessor, Dan Reeves, Fassel had enjoyed great success in his first year, but disappointment in the following two seasons. The conventional wisdom was that the Giants needed to have a strong year for Fassel to retain his job.Anderson, Dave. Sports of The Times; Fassel and Groh on the Spot, Even Before the Season, The New York Times, September 3, 2000, Retrieved October 20, 2010.Myers, Gary. GROH, FASSEL HAVE MADE GIANT STEPS, the New York Daily News, August 18, 2000, Retrieved October 20, 2010. The Giants' big draft acquisition was running back Ron Dayne, Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Before the draft the team was debating whether to select Dayne or Shaun Alexander.Pennington, Bill. PRO FOOTBALL; Giants Might Choose Between Alexander and Dayne, The New York Times, April 12, 2000, Retrieved March 22, 2008. The plan for Dayne was that the power running style he had at Wisconsin would complement Barber's speed and pass-catching ability. The two were dubbed "Thunder and Lightning".

After back-to-back November losses at home against St. Louis and Detroit dropped them to 7–4,2000 New York Giants , databasefootball.com, Retrieved March 21, 2007. the Giants playoff prospects were in question. In what would be his defining moment as Giants head coach, at a press conference following the Giants' loss to Detroit, Fassel guaranteed that "This team is going to the playoffs." The Giants responded, winning the next week's game against Arizona and the rest of their regular season games to finish the season 12–4 and earn a bye as the NFC's top seed.

The Giants won their first playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles, 20–10. In the NFC Championship game faced the Minnesota Vikings, who were appearing in their second NFC Championship game in 3 seasons. Many people predicted that the Vikings and their high powered offense, led by Daunte Culpepper and receivers Randy Moss and Cris Carter would defeat the Giants and go on to the Super Bowl. However, the Giants dominated, winning, 41–0. The win marked the second time the Giants had won a Conference Championship in their home stadium by shutout. After the game Giants co-owner Wellington Mara delivered his famous "worst team ever" speech:Wilner, Barry. Giants pound Vikings into submission, USA Today, January 21, 2001, Retrieved March 21, 2007.

Though the Giants kept the game close in the first half, and went into halftime down 10–0, the Ravens dominated the second half. Their defense (led by game MVP Ray Lewis) frustrated Kerry Collins all game long, resulting in Collins turning in one of the worst playoff performances in Super Bowl history. Collins completed 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards and 4 interceptions.Super Bowl XXXV, footballreference.com, accessed October 5, 2010. The Ravens won the game 34–7 in one of the most lopsided Super Bowls ever. The lone Giants score came on a Ron Dixon kickoff return for a touchdown. On the very next kickoff, the Ravens countered as Jermaine Lewis also returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

On Sirius Radio, hosting a program in the mid-2010's, Amani Toomer revealed that Jim Fassel panicked in the week leading up to the Super Bowl. Changing the offensive game plan completely, the Giants lost the confidence built up in the NFC Championship game. Toomer attributes this as a major factor in their Super Bowl defeat.

2001–2003